Cleator

Tucked into Yavapai County, Arizona, Cleator is a near ghost town that once went by the name Turkey Creek — or simply Turkey. Gold drew people here, and the community that grew around that industry has since faded to a quiet remnant of its former self.

Visitors today find a small, lived-in settlement on the edge of abandonment — a place that straddles the line between functioning community and ghost town. The setting in the Arizona Southwest makes it most approachable in spring and fall, when temperatures are manageable. Summer heat and the possibility of winter cold are real factors worth planning around.